BARRY JOSEPH KAUFMAN M.D. B.SC. (MED.), F.R.C.P. (C)

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BARRY JOSEPH KAUFMAN M.D. B.SC. (MED.), F.R.C.P. (C) Dr. Barry Joseph (B.J.) Kaufman passed away on Tuesday, November 11, 2008, at the Health Sciences Centre, the place where he had worked for 45 years, and where he received the very best and kindest of care. Thank you, Dr. Ken Van Ameyde and Dr. James Johnston. Husband of Barbara Cansino Kaufman; father of Hilary Kaufman Lerner and Brian, Jennifer Kaufman (Garth); grandfather of Rebecca and Jonathan Lerner; brother of Sondra Gotlieb (Allan) in Toronto; predeceased by his parents, Fannie and Dave Kaufman. Barry's family was the centre of his world, and he a collective pater familias to us all. Got a bad back? Phone BJ, or Dad, or Grampy, or brother/uncle/cousin/nephew/colleague/friend Barry.... What was that jellied foot-of-calf dish that Grandma Fannie used to make? Call Barry. (Ptcha. He loved it. His sister made it for him when he visited Toronto.) BJ was a family man. And he was a doctor, the world of medicine his parallel sphere, his calling. He graduated in Medicine from the University of Manitoba in 1957, the top of his class with two gold medals, the Chown medal for medicine, a year later the Prowse medal for outstanding clinical research. Not a surprise, apparently. BJ's grade school teacher wrote to us: Barry was one of my favourite ex-students, as well as, my favourite doctor. I taught him in Grades IV and VI at Luxton (where he was our brilliant top student) and then followed his illustrious career throughout the succeeding years. It was always a pleasure to go to the doctor and have a good visit with Barry. He breathed his life in medicine: His residency at Montreal General Hospital, a city he embraced. His focus on diabetes, endocrinology. His years on the Medical Council of Canada. On the Medical Review Committee (2002 to 2007), deterring abuses in the system. As medical consultant for the Victorian Order of Nurses (VON). And his primary roles as Professor of Medicine and clinician in the Department of Medicine at Health Sciences Centre: the wards, clinics, students, colleagues, clerks, nurses, secretaries, and especially, patients, he valued so. He was there for anyone and everyone who cared to call. And did. (His home telephone number was in the book.) In 2005 the Department of Internal Medicine inaugurated, at a gala dinner in the Hotel Fort Garry ballroom, the annual Barry J. Kaufman Award for exceptional performance in the role of CTU (Clinical Training Unit) attending physician, teacher and mentor. Barry was a doctor's doctor , Dr. Arnold Naimark noted in his funeral eulogy. Many colleagues and their family members sought him out or were referred to him and it is worth a moment to reflect on why that was. The obvious answer is that they turned to him to benefit from the depth of his knowledge, wisdom and expertise. But there was much more than that. Doctors as patients want and expect what other patients want and expect of their doctors--trust, confidence, integrity, authority, responsibility and reliability. In Barry they--we--found these attributes in full measure. BJ was a lovely man, a word of choice from friends and colleagues alike, who refer to his kindness and decency, quiet civility--and sense of humour, expressed in offbeat jokes and deadpan funny stories. His personal style and interests were constant, civilized, cerebral--and cosy. Except for favourite TV shows--The Antiques Road Show, Foyle's War, Nancy Grace, classic movies--evenings were spent with books, magazines, journals: War history, murder mystery, Jewish humour; The New Yorker, The New York Review of Books, Antique Collecting, and his favourite page-turner The New England Journal of Medicine. Hmm, interesting article here on 'Mechanical Ventilation Guided by Esophageal Pressure in Acute Lung Injury' . Home was his haven, adorned with antique lamps and tables and carpets he chose, and where he loved to entertain his friends and family. Particularly, his grandchildren Rebecca and Jonathan. He knew all about flowers and plants, gardened with pleasure for many years. He enjoyed fine wine, a perfect (Rae Jerry's) martini, appreciated fancy food, calamari and caviar, but his Winnipeg North End birth and childhood held sway over his palate. Toasted bagels for breakfast, salami and herring on hold in the fridge, a chocolate-bar stash by the bed. His weekly shopping stops were McNally-Robinson and Whodunit for books, Stephen Andrews for cheeses and steaks, Myer's Delicatessen for bagels et al. He indulged his wife's addiction to Gourmet magazine, volunteering a week of chopping and slicing for their annual Gourmet magazine December holiday dinner. A charter member of the OTH (Over the Hill) Club, for decades he met with a group of medical cohorts--nowadays Handford, Hershfield, Mann and Naimark--to eat Chinese food and catch up on the latest. He always wore a suit and tie. Funeral services were held at 2:30 p.m. on Friday, November 14 at Shaarey Zedek Synagogue, Rabbi Alan Green and Cantor Anibal Mass officiating. Dr. Arnold Naimark delivered the eulogy. Pallbearers were his niece and nephew, Rachel and Marc Gotlieb, friends, David Kroft, Jack Lazareck, Eric Mann and Garth Wyrchowny. Honorary pallbearers were his brother-in-law Allan Gotlieb, dear friends, Dr. Robert Handford and the Hon. Duff Roblin. Interment was in Shaarey Zedek Cemetery. The family also thanks Dr. Philip Garber, Dr. Kinny Lamba, the caring nurses on GB-3, and all the friends who called and cooked. Should friends desire, contributions may be made in Barry Kaufman's memory to Cancer Care Manitoba Foundation (Myeloma), 675 McDermot Avenue, Room ON1160, Winnipeg, Manitoba R3E 0V9, telephone 787-4177, or the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Manitoba, telephone 949-2000.

As published in Winnipeg Free Press on Nov 29, 2008